From Moscow to Washington: Vietnam’s To Lam Tests a Delicate Diplomatic Balance

Vietnamese President and Communist Party General Secretary To Lam is planning visits to Russia, France, the United States and Canada in September, according to people familiar with the plans and Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry. The schedule comes as Hanoi seeks to strengthen relationships with major partners while navigating trade uncertainty and rising competition among the world’s major powers.

To Lam is scheduled to begin the overseas tour in Russia on Sept. 7, where he is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin, before traveling to France. Also, he will be traveling to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly and continue to Canada around Sept. 24, according to people familiar with the itinerary.

The program illustrates Vietnam’s extensive diplomatic relations ranging from Vietnam’s historic strategic relationship with Russia to its growing economic ties and technological exchanges with France and its important ties with the United States.

Russia: Energy, Defense and Strategic Continuity

To Lam is scheduled to meet Putin in Moscow on Sept. 7. One official, who is familiar with the Moscow visit, said the trip is intended to strengthen political trust in areas including energy, defense and security.

Russia remains a major defense supplier to Vietnam and has an involvement in the country’s energy sector. Russian companies have also participated in oil and gas projects in the South China Sea, including areas also claimed by China.

The Moscow meeting would be To Lam’s second with Putin in 16 months. In May 2025, Putin received To Lam at the Kremlin during the Vietnamese leader’s official visit to Russia, with the two sides holding restricted-format and delegation-level talks.

Vietnam has sought to diversify its defense procurement in recent years while maintaining its longstanding relationship with Moscow. The approach reflects Hanoi’s broader effort to preserve strategic flexibility rather than rely exclusively on any single major power.

Paris: Space Cooperation and Infrastructure

To Lam is expected to travel to France after Russia, with the visit scheduled around the International Space Summit in Paris on Sept. 9 and 10, according to people familiar with the plans.

Vietnam and France have sought to expand cooperation in the space sector. Airbus Defense and Space signed a declaration on space cooperation with Vietnam during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Vietnam last year.

French companies are also seeking opportunities in Vietnam’s infrastructure and defense sectors, including railway and airport projects. Several agreements announced during high-level diplomatic engagements have involved large potential investments, although some are nonbinding.

The France leg, therefore, will afford Hanoi the chance to develop economic and technology ties and strengthen ties with a key European power.

Washington: Trade Pressure Meets UN Diplomacy

After returning to Vietnam, To Lam is expected to travel to the United States for the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level week. The U.N. has scheduled the general debate of the 81st General Assembly session to begin Sept. 22 and continue through Sept. 28.

To Lam is expected to address the gathering. There is no confirmed information that he will hold a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. A White House official said Trump’s schedule for that period had not been finalized.

The visit comes as trade remains one of the most sensitive areas of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship.

In July 2025, Trump announced an initial trade arrangement with Vietnam, saying the United States would impose a 20% tariff on Vietnamese goods and a 40% tariff on transshipped goods. In his statement, Trump said, “Dealing with General Secretary To Lam, which I did personally, was an absolute pleasure.”

The two countries have developed a framework for a reciprocal trade agreement. A joint U.S.-Vietnam statement issued in October 2025 said Vietnam would provide preferential market access for substantially all U.S. industrial and agricultural exports, while the United States would maintain a 20% reciprocal tariff rate on Vietnamese-origin goods, subject to specified exemptions and zero-rate treatment for certain products.

On July 23, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative announced final action under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 concerning economies that failed to impose and effectively enforce prohibitions on imports produced with forced labor.

The action imposed additional tariffs of either 10% or 12.5% on goods from 60 economies, with Vietnam among those subject to the 12.5% rate. The measure took effect July 24.

The new Section 301 action followed the expiration of a temporary 10% Section 122 surcharge on July 24. For Vietnam, the resulting 12.5% Section 301 rate became an additional element of the U.S. tariff regime.

The trade policy is likely to remain as a backdrop to To Lam’s Washington visit, as Hanoi seeks predictability for exporters while Washington continues to scrutinize trade imbalances and supply chains involving China.

A Trade Relationship Defined by Scale

Vietnamese exports to the United States increased from $119.6 billion in 2024 to $153.2 billion in 2025, according to Vietnamese government figures cited in the source material, which represents an increase of about 28%.

The growth has contributed to a large Vietnamese trade surplus with the United States. It has also increased Washington’s focus on whether Chinese goods are being routed through Vietnam to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Measures designed to reassure Washington could affect Vietnam’s commercial relationship with Chinese companies and investors, while insufficient action could expose Vietnamese exporters to further scrutiny.

The trade issue touches on supply chains, rules of origin, Chinese investment and Vietnam’s broader strategy of maintaining productive relationships with competing powers.

Canada and a Crowded September

To Lam is expected to travel to Canada after his U.S. visit, beginning around Sept. 24, according to people familiar with the plans.

The Canada leg would extend an already busy period of high-level diplomacy. To Lam recently traveled to Australia and New Zealand and is also scheduled to host Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Hanoi this weekend.

The sequence highlights the breadth of Vietnam’s diplomatic engagement as Hanoi seeks to strengthen relationships across different political and economic groupings.

Bamboo Diplomacy Under Pressure

Vietnam’s foreign policy is often described as “bamboo diplomacy,” a strategy centered on maintaining flexibility, avoiding excessive dependence on any major power and pursuing cooperation with countries that have competing interests.

Vietnam has deep economic ties with China, a major trading partner and neighboring country, while its relationship with the United States has become increasingly important to manufacturing and exports. Russia remains important in defense and energy, while France and other European countries offer investment, technology and infrastructure opportunities.

At the 14th National Party Congress in January 2026, To Lam was re-elected as general secretary after receiving an exemption from the mandatory retirement age of 65. He was also elected president, combining the two positions that Vietnam had generally kept separate for decades.

The concentration of political authority gives To Lam a central role in both domestic policy and external diplomacy. But the September travel schedule will also test how effectively Vietnam can maintain its balancing strategy when economic interests and geopolitical pressures increasingly overlap.

The outcome of the September engagements could provide an indication of how far Vietnam can preserve that flexibility as competition among major powers continues to reshape trade, investment and security relationships.